WEST ALEXANDRIA — The Twin Valley South golf team finished the week with two wins, beating Ansonia and National Trail to earn their first two victories for the newly revived program. They also tied Covington but ultimately lost the match in the tiebreaker.
Against Ansonia, South traveled to White Springs Golf Club on Monday, Aug. 24, where they beat the Tigers 186-213. All four golfers shot lower scores than anyone from Ansonia.
Nate Osborn finished with a 39, the best score on the day. Winston Crosier shot a 48, Levi Klips shot a 49, and Jayden Bassler finished with a 50.
The next day, Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Panthers tied Covington with team scores of 173 at Echo Hills Golf Course. The Buccaneers’ fifth golfer bested South’s fifth player by two strokes though, giving them the victory.
“This is the second time we’ve scored 173 points and lost,” said South head coach Darcy Robinson. “Usually when you have four guys score in the 40s, you have a pretty good chance of winning, but it wasn’t so (that day).”
Despite the loss, Levi Klips (43) and Jayden Bassler (47) shot their best round of the season.
“Those two, along with Chance Parks and Connor Bradley, have really shown a lot of improvement in this past week,” said Robinson.
Osborn and Crosier were South’s top scorers on the day, shooting 40 and 43, respectively.
“This was a pretty tough course to play on for the first time. In golf, there is definitely a ‘home court’ advantage. I’d like to think if we could play a second time on that course, we would have possibly come away with the win,” said Robinson. “I’m not trying to take anything away from Covington, but being familiar with the course can certainly be a plus.”
The Panthers finished out the week with a home match against Trail at Eaton Country Club on Thursday, Aug. 27, beating the Blazers 186-193.
Osborn was once against the top finisher for South, shooting a 40. Crosier shot a 43, Bassler shot a 51, and Klips finished with a 52.
“We were very happy to get this win over National Trail since they won the Preble County Tournament at the beginning of the season. I think this was a good measuring stick as to how much our team has improved in such a short time,” said Robinson. “This being our first season back as a program, I’m very pleased with the progress we are making. If we can continue to make these kinds of strides in this next week, we’ll be right where we want to be, heading into tournament play.”
The Panthers were scheduled to travel to Tri-Village on Monday, Aug. 31, before hosting Miami East on Tuesday, Sept. 1. They will host Newton on Thursday, Sept. 3, with a tee time of 4 p.m. They will also play in the Tri-Village Invitational at Beechwood Golf Club on Saturday, Sept. 4.
